The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
IEEE standards 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11h, 802.11n, 802.16, and 802.20, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, define several different standards for configuring wireless networks and devices. According to these standards, wireless network devices may be operated in either an infrastructure mode or an ad-hoc mode. In the infrastructure mode, wireless network devices of client stations communicate with each other through a wireless network device of an access point (AP). In the ad-hoc mode, wireless network devices of client stations communicate directly with each other and do not employ a wireless network device of an access point. The term client station, or mobile station, may not necessarily mean that a wireless network device is actually mobile. For example, a desktop computer that is not mobile may incorporate a wireless network device and operate as a client station or a mobile station.
Certain performance and/or security functions of a wireless network device may depend on location of the wireless network device (either an access point or a client station) with respect to other wireless network devices. For example, an access point may impose restraints on a client station when the client station is outside certain physical boundaries (e.g., for security purposes). The access point may provide the client station location-specific services, and/or the client station may provide its location for roaming decisions, maps, and points of interest.